Transcendence Signed Copy - Richard Tognetti

As artistic director and lead violin of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Richard Tognetti AO has received honorary doctorates from three Australian universities and was made a National Living Treasure in 1999. In 2017 he was awarded the JC Williamson Award for longstanding service to the live performance industry. Here he tells the remarkable story of The Reef and how a piece of music can transcend the gatekeepers and connect directly to the community around it.

To celebrate five decades of live performance, 50 artists share their indelible memories of the Sydney Opera House.

The Sydney Opera House’s illustrious 50-year history is celebrated through fifty recollections of unforgettable experiences and performances.

A singer overwhelmed by his crowd. A dancer on ice above sea. A teenage girl, later to become a virtuoso conductor, jolted by the sound of a symphony.

Two filmmakers exchange vows on their opera set. A photographer hears a Cistercian echo in the sails. And one night, after a Verdi curtain call, an audience member who looks a lot like Bob Dylan receives a private singing lesson in a theatre named after Australia’s greatest opera star.

For fifty years, the Sydney Opera House has elevated the spirits of all who enter its orbit.

Here, fifty artists – from Simone Young to Nick Cave, Sylvie Guillem to Briggs, Baz Luhrmann to Carlotta – share their most indelible memories from a building that embodies the Australian contemporary experience.